Dive Brief:
- On October 4, a "teach-in" was held in order to increase awareness of the hazardous materials buried under the surface of the West Lake landfill in Bridgeton, MO.
- St. Louis Teamsters assembled with local residents, environmental experts, lawyers, elected officials, and union members to discuss the best ways to keep the community safe from health and environmental risks associated with the landfill.
- The group implored the owner of the landfill, Republic Services, elected officials, Bill and Melinda Gates -- both of whom have substantial stake in the hauler -- and the Environmental Protection Agency to “protect the health and safety of the community.”
Dive Insight:
An estimated 1,600 Teamsters’ families reside in houses located within close range of the landfill, according to Mavin Kropp, President of the Joint Council 13.
Chuck Stiles, the Assistant Director of the Teamsters Solid Waste, Recycling & Related Industries Division, said, “Republic Services has the legal, moral and financial responsibility to keep workers and communities safe from its toxic landfills.” On April 29, the Teamsters protested Republic Services’ alleged mistreatment of its employees in regard to health and safety issues, highlighting the noxious fumes emitting from the West Lake landfill.
According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the underground landfill fire is inching closer toward radioactive waste buried within the shuttered West Lake site, while a study conducted by the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services determined cancer rates in the area surrounding the landfill are “significantly above normal” for the region.
